title: Assessing the specificity of posttraumatic stress disorder's dysphoric items within the dysphoria model.
abstract: The factor structure of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) currently used by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), has received limited support. A four-factor dysphoria model is widely supported. However, the dysphoria factor of this model has been hailed as a nonspecific factor of PTSD. The present study investigated the specificity of the dysphoria factor within the dysphoria model by conducting a confirmatory factor analysis while statistically controlling for the variance attributable to depression. The sample consisted of 429 individuals who met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD in the National Comorbidity Survey. The results concluded that there was no significant attenuation in any of the PTSD items. This finding is pertinent given several proposals for the removal of dysphoric items from the diagnostic criteria set of PTSD in the upcoming DSM-5.
authors.affiliation: *The National Centre for Psychotraumatology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark; and †School of Psychology, Faculty of Life and Health Sciences, University of Ulster at Magee Campus, L'Derry, Northern Ireland.
authors.forename: Cherie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Armour
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shevlin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003863:Depression / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult